Top 10 Times Gromit Was the Real Main Character

“A Grand Day Out” (1989)

1989’s “A Grand Day Out” began with the terrible discovery that Wallace and Gromit realised they were out of cheese and the shops were closed. So, rather than wait a day, they build a rocket to go to the moon because, as everyone knows, it’s made of cheese. Gromit not only played a key role in creating the spaceship, but he also piloted it from take-off from Earth and when they were leaving the moon. His flying skills made sure that he and Wallace got home safe, kick-starting Aardman Animations’s smash-hit franchise. Gromit space skills seemingly impressed the real-life NASA. In 2005, they unveiled two robots, one named after “Doctor Who”’s K-9 and the other named Gromit.

“Wallace & Gromit's Cracking Contraptions” (2002)

In 2002, the franchise released “Wallace & Gromit's Cracking Contraptions,” which involved short episodes showing off the duo’s inventiveness. In the episode “Soccamatic,” which already makes football fans uncomfortable with the name, Wallace and Gromit play football in the park. With Wallace taking the shooting role, the dog is the goalkeeper. Gromit was a monster between the sticks, making one save after another as Wallace channelled legends of the sport like Stanley Matthews and Geoff Hurst. Struggling to score, Wallace went to science and unveiled his Preston North End Soccamatic. It blasted the balls so powerfully they flew through the fence behind the goal. After struggling for a bit, Gromit one-upped the human by inflating himself, completely blocking the goal.

“The Wrong Trousers” (1993)

Not only did 1993’s “The Wrong Trousers” give the franchise its first Oscar win, but it also provided us with one of its most iconic villains. With Wallace short of money after building mechanical trousers, he rents out a room in his house to a penguin. It doesn’t take long for the creature to push Gromit out and grow close to Wallace. With the dog looking for a place to stay, he sees a wanted poster for a “chicken” that bears a striking resemblance to the penguin. After channelling his inner spy and tailing the flightless bird upon seeing it controlling Wallace in the trousers and later putting on the rubber glove, Gromit realises the penguin is the prominent thief, Feathers McGraw.

“Wallace & Gromit's Cracking Contraptions” (2002)

Struggling to keep up with the constant chore of cleaning up cracker crumbs, Wallace invents an automatic vacuum in the “Wallace & Gromit's Cracking Contraptions” episode, “The 525 Crackervac.” However, when the Lancashire inventor tries to take fresh crackers away, the machine, which looks like a dog-hoover, turns nasty. So, Wallace saves himself by throwing Gromit under the bus. However, the living dog doesn’t back down from the challenge. Instead, Gromit morphs into a cowboy. After quick-drawing a cracker into the air, he lassos the machine and rides it. After tying a knot in its hose, the vacuum is tamed, firing off one last blast of karmic dust at Wallace.

“A Matter of Loaf and Death” (2008)

Already essentially running a bakery by himself, Gromit and his so-called owner go off to deliver their baked goods in 2008’s “A Matter of Loaf and Death.” However, they soon meet the former Bake-O-Lite girl, Piella Bakewell and her poodle, Fluffles, riding a bike. Shortly after, the brakes seemingly failed, and the pair quickly descended a steep hill. Naturally, Wallace and Gromit spring into action. Wallace, showing stunning athleticism, jumps from the car and onto the bike. Gromit then physics-breakingly throws tea cakes to help slow it down. Still not done though, as after it crashes into the zoo’s alligator pit, Gromit uses Piella’s hat string and a baguette to reclaim Fluffles from the reptile's mouth. Smooth.

“A Close Shave” (1995)

Preston, in 1995’s “A Close Shave,” terrified a lot of kids upon its release. The big hulking dog immediately tormented our hero, Gromit, with his brute strength and dastardly plans. He even framed Gromit for his crimes, causing the pup to be sentenced to prison. After escaping with the aid of Wallace and the sheep, the Lancashire duo discover Preston turning on Wendolene and stealing the sheep. So, they give chase on their motorbike. Preston, ever the cleaver creature, hid his van before coming up behind them and knocking the bike, threatening to cause a crash. Using a ladder and supernatural strength, Gromit grabs the overhead powerlines, causing the bike to spin in the air and behind Preston’s van. Seriously, what can’t this dog do?

“A Close Shave” (1995)

Shortly after Gromit’s unprecedented strength during the car chase in “A Close Shave,” his motorbike sidecar comes loose and goes off a cliff. Thankfully, he was prepared for this as the vehicle turns into a plane. Guess he fixed it together in his spare time. Then, Gromit feeds porridge into his plane’s firearm and goops up Preston’s van with stunning accuracy. With Preston inside the factory with the humans and sheep, Gromit flies the aircraft through several layers of walls to stop the villain from turning everyone into dog food. After Preston is found to be a cyber dog, he attempts to attack Shaun the Sheep. However, using his bungee skills, Gromit bounces down and snatches Shaun before Preston can grab him, leaving the sheep to eventually save the day.

“A Matter of Loaf and Death” (2008)

If it wasn’t for Gromit, Wallace likely would’ve perished several times over, especially when it comes to his love life. In “A Matter of Loaf and Death,” the dog discovers that Piella is the mystery baker serial killer, and she plans for Wallace to complete her “baker’s dozen.” He manages to escape from her clutches and rushes back to save Wallace from a cake that contains a bomb. However, the bomb keeps coming back to put the Lancastrian in danger. With time running out and the explosive stuck in Wallace’s trousers, Gromit makes a last second save by filling up the clothing with sticky dough. Amazingly, even though it blew a hole in the attic when it went off, Wallace is saved from injury despite his singed buns.

“Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit” (2005)

2005 saw the British icons star in their first feature film. Following an attempt to rid rabbits from Lady Tottington’s garden, Wallace is turned into the were-rabbit. This behemoth draws the attention of his love rival, Victor Quatermaine, who seeks to hunt the creature. Near the end, after Gromit fights off Victor’s dog, Philip, he flies a plane perfectly to block a shot by Victor to end Wallace. However, Wallace sacrificed himself to save Gromit from crashing. The dog takes the opportunity to not only shove Victor into a were-rabbit costume as comeuppance, but use some excessively stinking cheese to bring his bestie back from the brink.

“The Wrong Trousers” (1993)

After discovering the mysterious penguin is the criminal Feathers McGraw, Gromit attempts to stop the thief from setting up Wallace to take the fall for stealing the diamond. After fiddling with the trousers to help him and Wallace escape the wardrobe, Gromit goes after Feathers in a miniature train chase around the house. The dog even deflects multiple bullets with a lampshade. Just as it looks like Gromit was going to slam into a wall, he reacts quickly by using spare tracks to cause the train to reach Feathers once more. Turns out ingenuity CAN beat bullets.


What’s your favourite British cartoon or animated character? “Wallace & Gromit”? “Danger Mouse”? “Count Duckula”? Or something else? Let us know below!